If your website is built on the WordPress platform (or even if it isn’t) you most likely have a sidebar on most of your pages. What you put there can make the difference between connecting with your website visitors or not, so it is important to think strategically about this important part of your website.
As you think about what you are going to put on the sidebar, think first about what will be most important (what elements will help make sure visitors take the action you want them to take?) and place those elements above the fold (high enough so that visitors will not have to scroll to see them). Also, make sure that you keep your sidebar clean and uncluttered so that the visitors eye is drawn to exactly what you want them to see and not distracted by too many options–which will overwhelm them (causing them to leave).
Invitation to Subscribe
If you have a blog on your website (and you really need one if you want to make sure 1) your website can be found online, and 2) you are providing regular, high value content for your visitors), you want to put an invitation to subscribe near the top – either as an opt-in form to subscribe, or as an icon along with your other social media icons (or both). By allowing visitors to subscribe, you enable them to get a notification every time you post new content, which encourages them to visit your site and comment when you post something new.
Sign-Up for Your eNewsletter
Place your newsletter opt-in form near the top of the sidebar on every page of your website that includes a sidebar. If you can offer visitors something special (and free) to encourage them to sign-up for your email, you will get more people signing up for your list. This is important because they are giving you permission to stay in touch with them by visiting them in their email inbox…that is like being invited to come visit them in person. It is a golden opportunity to nourish relationships with people who have shown an interest in your brand.
Social Media Icons
Include links to your social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn (if you have a company page you can link to that) so visitors can learn more about your business and follow your activity if they wish. On your blog sidebar, you can place a Twitter widget and/or Facebook Like Box so that visitors can connect to your pages without leaving your website.
Specific Calls to Action
What is the most important thing you want visitors to do when they come to your website? Do you have specific landing pages on your website to highlight your products and services? A button or badge that tells your visitors about these pages should be on your sidebar to let them know what you want them to do. Keep in mind, if you have a WordPress website, it is easy to change this content as your offerings change. When you have an upcoming event, you can call visitors to register and when the event is over you can replace it with a badge that takes visitors to your products page. There is no limit to what you can do, just keep in mind that if you give your visitors too many choices at once, many will not take action. Stay focused on what you really want them to do, and limit the options so they will do it!
Search Form
A search box is important–especially if you have a blog–to enable visitors to search for what they want to find on your website.
Recent and/or Popular Posts
It is great to include a list of the five or so most popular posts (or recent posts) on your blog sidebar so that visitors can easily see some of the other high value content available on your website and click over to it without have to scroll through older posts (if you don’t want to include this in your sidebar, there are several plugins available that allow you to post related posts at the end of each post).
Post Categories
Similarly, if you have a lot of content on your blog, it is a good idea to add a category lists so visitors can easily navigate to the section that interests them most.
Other Elements
There is an endless list of things you can include on your sidebar, so just select the items that make sense for your business, your visitor, and your online goals. Remember that with WordPress, it is easy to have different pages display different sidebar items, so you can choose items that relate specifically to content on a page if you want. A good rule of thumb is to keep your entries short and link to pages that have more detailed information. Some additional things you might want on your sidebar include:
- image/short bio
- testimonials
- contact information
- advertisements
- upcoming events
- a promotional video
If you have a very specific page (a product landing page, for example), it is a good idea to leave the sidebar off that page to get your page visitor to focus only on the product (or webinar, service, event, etc.) you are featuring, and keep them from becoming distracted by items on your sidebar. WordPress makes it easy to have some pages with a full-width layout like this, and allow your sidebar to display on the rest of the pages of your website.
To make sure your sidebar is effective + powerful, think strategically about what to put there (tweet this!). You can always experiment with your sidebar to see what will work best to help you achieve your online goals, and make changes as needed. Just be sure to think about it strategically and think about what is going to serve your visitor best.
Thoughts?
If you have questions about your sidebar and what should or should not go there, feel free to reach out to me below in the comments.
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As always, thank you for taking time out to stop by!